


Small Talk

by WaltzingFuriosa



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: AU Where Leblanc has a shower, But so will Akira so don’t worry about it, Does Leblanc even have a shower?, Drabble, Fluff, Gen, No Spoilers, Ryuji is a good kid who loves his mom, Sassy Goro is my favorite, The dragon dies at the end protecting everyone, YOU WILL CRY A LOT, Yes Ryuji the movie is definitely sad, You can bet Akira sent Ryuji home with some curry to take home to his mom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 08:49:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12009249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaltzingFuriosa/pseuds/WaltzingFuriosa
Summary: Ryuji finds himself with an extra ticket to see a movie tonight and decides to invite Akira along. But when he gets to Leblanc to pick him up, not only is Akira nowhere to be found, but he finds none other than Goro Akechi sitting at the counter, polluting Ryuji’s good vibes with his presence. With his phone dead and his friend taking forever to get ready, Ryuji will need to use his wits to navigate the unfortunate social situation he finds himself in. Will he prevail? COME WITH ME, DEAR READER AND FIND OUT!





	Small Talk

**[15/08/17 (6:45 pm)] Ryuji: Hey Akira, you free tonight?**  
  
**[15/08/17 (6:46 pm)] Akira: We’re not doing the maid thing again.**  
  
**[15/08/17 (6:46 pm)] Ryuji: What? No! Man, are you ever going to let that go?!**  
  
**[15/08/17 (6:47 pm)] Ryuji: You know that movie that just came out, “Fire and Icing?”**  
  
**[15/08/17 (6:49 pm)] Akira: The one about the pastry chef that has to save her daughter from the dragon by teaching it how to love through the art of cake decorating?**  
  
**[15/08/17 (6:50 pm)] Akira: Yeah, I might have heard of it.**  
  
**[15/08/17 (6:51 pm)] Ryuji: Well, I got two tickets for a screening tonight at the theatre over by your place. Wanna come?**  
  
**[15/08/17 (6:51 pm)] Akira: I didn’t think you’d be into that sort of movie.**  
  
**[15/08/17 (6:52 pm)] Ryuji: I’m not. Mom’s been wanting to see it so I got us tickets. But she’s sick and can’t go.**  
  
**[15/08/17 (6:52 pm)] Akira: Oh no, is she alright?**  
  
**[15/08/17 (6:53 pm)] Ryuji: She keeps saying she doesn’t want the tickets to go to waste and that I should “take the opportunity to socialize with my friends.” So yeah.**  
  
**[15/08/17 (6:53 pm)] Ryuji: Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious. And she’s got me to take care of her!**  
  
**[15/08/17 (6:54 pm)] Ryuji: So you wanna come or not?? The movie starts at 8:30.**  
  
**[15/08/17 (6:55pm)] Akira:  Hell yeah, I could use a good cry. I’m in.**  
  
**[15/08/17 (6:57pm)] Ryuji: Sweet! Meet you at Leblanc at 8:00.**  
  
**[15/08/17 (7:08 pm)] Ryuji: Wait, is it a sad movie?**  
  
**[15/08/17 (7:22 pm)] Ryuji: Akira, is it supposed to be sad??**  
  
  
—————————  
  
  
The bell on the door gave a distressed chime as Ryuji swung open the front door of Leblanc.  
  
“Sup’ boss-” he called in, before stopping in his tracks. His smile shriveled into a grimace, “Oh, it’s you.”  
  
Sitting at the bar, in the chair closest to the entrance, was none other than Goro Akechi, who looked as if he had been about to take a sip of his cup of coffee, but was interrupted mid-motion. Now he was just holding the mug sort of close to his face, glancing sideways at the source of the sudden noise. He actually looked surprised.  
  
Neither of them moved for a second, like they were a freeze-frame in a movie. Somewhere outside, a drunk man yelled something about “the man holding him down.”  
  
Akechi put down his mug and smiled that shit-eating, TV smile of his, “Sakamoto, I suppose it is.”  
  
Ryuji didn’t respond. He let go of the door and walked into the cafe, looking around. Other than Akechi, the place was empty. The door clattered shut behind him, muffling the cicadas and the noise of the people going about their lives outside. A quick look at the clock told him it was 7:58.  
  
“Where’s Boss?” Ryuji asked,  walking past Akechi and leaning his back against the other end of the counter.  
  
“I think Sakura-san went out to get cigarettes.” he paused, marking his spot in the book he had been reading, “but you’re probably here to see Kurusu-kun, correct?”  
  
“Wow, detective, that was an amazing deduction!” Ryuji let the disdain roll off his tongue.  
  
Akechi laughed, “Oh dear, someone’s prickly this evening.”  
  
Ryuji shot up, fists clenched, “I’m not—!“ But he stopped himself. He wasn’t going to get all worked up over this guy. He took a deep breath, leaned back up against the counter, and looked away. “Whatever.”  
  
He pulled out bis phone and started to text Akira: **“Hey, I’m downstairs”** But before he could hit “send,” the screen went black.  
  
“Shit,” he hissed.  
  
“Something wrong?”  
  
Annoyed, Ryuji stuffed his phone back into his pocket “Ugh, nothing, it’s just my phone.”  
  
“Forget to charge your phone before leaving home?” Akechi nodded sympathetically,  “How unfortunate. That happens to me all of the time. I’ve actually had to start taking my charger with me everywhere I go!”  
  
“Ahahaha…” Ryuji laughed humorlessly, “yeah.”  
  
Oh god he’s having small talk with _Akechi_. This had to stop.  
  
“Do you, uh, know when Akira will be down?”  
  
“He came home just before you arrived. I think he’s taking a shower now though.”  
  
“Wha- how the hell do you know that?!”  
  
“Oh, It’s just one of my 'amazing deductions' as you called them,” he said, pointing up towards the ceiling. “Listen.”  
  
Ryuji stared at Akechi skeptically. Was this some sort of joke?    
  
“Come on, humor me Sakamoto. Aren’t you curious?” he urged, his tone as infuriatingly pleasant and inoffensive as ever.  
  
He still wasn’t convinced, but what the hell, Ryuji thought to himself. He’d play along. It’s not like he was doing anything else right now.  
  
Focusing his gaze on nothing in particular, Ryuji listened to the world around him. The TV was playing a rerun of that old Power Raiders cartoon that he used to watch as a kid. He could also hear the murmur of people walking by outside. Talking. Complaining about the heat and other boring shit. He heard the cicadas which, as usual, were really fucking loud.  
  
Ryuji hadn’t been looking at Akechi while he did this, but he could feel the guy’s eyes on him the entire time. It made him nervous. Maybe he _was_ messing with him?  
  
He let out a frustrated sigh, “I don’t hear an-”  
  
Akechi held his finger to his lips, “You’re only noticing the things that are demanding your attention. Try to focus on the things you’re meant to ignore.”  
  
“Geez, fine.” Ryuji tried again. Screwing his eyes closed, he tried to peel away the layers of sound around him. Past the tinny noises of the TV. Past the people outside and the loud-ass cicadas. What else was there? He heard ticking. Right, from the clock by the door. He’d forgotten about that! But that’s not it.  
  
And then, finally, he heard it. The faint sound of water running through pipes. It was coming from somewhere in the ceiling. Like the ticking, it had always been there, Ryuji just hadn’t noticed it.  
  
His eyes shot open. “I got it! It’s the pipes!” He yelled, grinning at Akechi despite himself.  
  
Akechi smiled back.  
  
In the silence that followed, Ryuji suddenly became self conscious. What was he doing getting all buddy buddy with this guy? And where the hell was Akira? Ryuji “casually” looked around, hoping to find a distraction. Fortunately, distraction came as the TV piped up again.  
  
   _“Oh no! Rhonda Reversa has turned the monster into a giant!”_  
  
_“RAAWRRR” *CRASH*_  
  
_“Oh no! Good thing that building was empty!”_  
  
_“Isn’t that convenient!”_  
  
Damn it, how long is this guy gonna take? Ryuji thought to himself. He looked at the clock—8:05—and suppressed a groan. Has he seriously only been here for five minutes?!  
  
Akechi had gone back to reading his book. Good.  
  
He tried to force himself to watch the television, but his attention just wouldn’t stick. Ryuji loved this show as a kid but man, It hasn’t aged well at all.  
  
He pulled out his phone reflexively—saw that it was definitely still dead—and shoved it back in his pocket. There had to be something he could do! He had a manga he’d bought yesterday somewhere in his backpack but there was no way in hell he was gonna let Akechi catch him reading something like that. He’d probably think it’s childish and stupid. Him being all mature and all, with his _job_ and his stupid tiny _tie_.  
  
Or worse, Ryuji realized, maybe he actually does like manga and he would start talking to him about it.  
  
Ryuji turned around and pretended to scrutinize the back of the counter. He read every hand-written label on every jar of coffee. Well, he tried. He got bored halfway through. He examined the countertop. Looked pretty clean. Good job, Boss. Did he remember to clean up the kitchen before leaving home? He looked desperately at the stairs. Still no sign of Akira. Ryuji looked back to the clock. 8:07. Damn.  
  
Then he looked over to Akechi again. Just sitting there. Reading. Akechi and his weird metal briefcase with the big goofy “A” on it. There it was, propped up on the chair next to him. What’s with the “A” anyway? Did he draw it on himself? Did it stand for Akechi? That would be so lame. He didn’t seriously write his initials on it like a kid, did he? He probably did, the dweeb. Why didn’t he just use a backpack? Backpacks were so much easier to carry.  
  
Before he could stop himself, Ryuji blurted, “So what’s with the briefcase?”  
  
“Huh?” Akechi looked up from his book, then looked at briefcase, almost as if he had just noticed it was there.  
  
“It’s for holding things.” he said simply.  
  
Ryuji gave him his hardest “fuck you” look he could muster. Akechi laughed.  
  
“It's a rather imposing-looking thing, isn’t it? I didn’t pick it out myself, actually. It was issued to me by the police so I could carry important documents safely if necessary. Although, to be honest,” he rubbed his shoulder, “It’s pretty heavy. Lugging it around all day can be straining.”  
  
“Oh yeah? Let me see that” Ryuji sauntered over to the case and took it off of the chair by the handle. And immediately almost dropped it. He was able to lift it fine but he had underestimated the heft and didn’t get a good enough grip. He coughed and put it back on the chair as nonchalantly as possible.  
  
“And, uh, what’s in it now?” he asked, hoping to change the subject. “Any high-profile cases in there?”  
  
_Anything on the phantom thieves?_ Ryuji thought, all of the sudden.  
  
Akechi sipped his coffee, “Nothing like that, unfortunately. Contrary to what you see on television, most detective-work is actually very boring.”  
  
“Huh.” He started fiddling with the edges of the case, which wouldn’t budge. “How do you even get this open, I don’t see any latches.”  
  
“Oh I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”  
  
“Why not, detective boy? Afraid I’ll mix up your pencil case?”  
  
“To protect evidence from falling into the wrong hands, the case is set to combust if open improperl-“  
  
Ryuji’s hands shot up as he jumped back. “SHIT, WHAT THE HELL MAN WHY DIDN’T YOU-“  
  
Akechi closed his book. “Just kidding.”  
  
He stood up, put some money on the counter and picked up his briefcase. “Well, I should really be going. Enjoy the rest of your evening!” He walked to the exit, stopping at the door and giving Ryuji one last smile, “And thank you for the company, Sakmoto. I hope we can do this again sometime.”  
  
The door closed with a final, gentle ring.  
  
Ryuji just stood there. Seething.  
  
“Ha! He got you good Ryuji,” Mona chimed in from his spot at the booth in the back.  
  
He whirled on him “You! How long have you been there?!”  
  
“A thief never reveals his secrets!” he sneered. “Enjoy your little chat?”  
  
“You know what!- I- “ Ryuji turned towards the door, “He-“ he sucked in a breath, “ugh what an ASSHOLE.”  
  
“Alright! Alright!” said a familiar voice from the staircase, “I’m sorry I made you wait but there’s no need to fucking curse.”  
  
Ryuji whirled in place once again and pointed an accusing finger at Akira, who’s hair was still wet from the shower, “And you! You took your sweet-ass time!”  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Ok, this is just a quick little drabble I whipped up because I wanted to write a scene with two of my favorite Persona 5 guys interacting. Hope you like it! This is the first fan fiction I’ve ever actually published so comments and critiques are welcome and encouraged!


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